Some say the best type of marketing is marketing that doesn’t feel like it. It makes the people feel like they’re part of a project. A salon referral, when you think about it, follows that logic. Thanks to an enthusiastic client or maybe some rebranding you did or a new service you offer, your name gets spread out and before you know it, you’ve got new clients walking through your door.
Do you know how many referrals you’re getting? And most importantly, do you know your top salon referral clients?
A personalised experience is way more valuable than any monetary reward can ever be – real life story
Our sales manager Sue Maguire, was just telling me recently how two clients both in for Hi-Lites on a Saturday morning (checked in and checked out at the same time) sat beside one another in a salon.
One of the clients gave a really bad review but left no comment as to what was wrong, so Sue advised the salon owner to call the client and find out what happened and what they could do to to improve. In the end, it all came down to the fact that one client was offered three coffees and the client leaving the bad review only got offered one. The salon owner sent the client a 50 euro gift voucher by way of apology and for highlighting a need for procedures for consistency in customer service.
A couple of weeks later, a new client walked in, asked for the salon owner and said Vivienne had sent her and to ask for her…
So by doing the right thing out of a bad situation and speaking to an unhappy client, the salon has since got several new clients all referred by Vivienne.
Referrals help get new clients in
Do you already have a referral program in your salon? If not, you really have nothing to lose and everything to gain by asking for referrals. Here’s why:
- Salon referrals narrow down a future customer’s choices – let’s face it, there has never been more salons for a client to choose from.
- A prospective client is more likely to visit a salon that was recommended by a friend – it has everything to do with trust.
- Referrals work for you and are a way of saying “don’t take our word for it, but you should come see us!”
Rewarding your top salon referral clients
Every client has a different reason to refer your salon to friends and/or family. Some may refer your salon because they’re friends with you and love your way of doing things, while others simply do it for the reward (I’m sure you have all done it with Uber 😉 )
But whatever the reason is, you should really put emphasis on your salon referrals – they’re a huge opportunity for growth. That being said, do you know who exactly are your TOP salon referral clients? Interesting enough, it might actually be someone who comes in for a simple treatment once every month, goes incognito a little, but brings in more business than your top spending client.
And if you are a Phorest Client, you can find out your customers with the most referrals by generating the “Super Client Report”. In the Phorest Salon Software, simply go to Manager > Reports > Clients > Super Clients (Referrals) > Generate Report! 😉
Referrals are all about reaping what you sow. Set up your very own referral program, give out TreatCard points for recommendations, ask new clients how they heard about you, write down notes in client cards, maybe give a little treat to your top referral clients, or even just remember they take a cappuccino no sugar… Anything that makes your clients feel like you go that little extra mile will incite them to talk about the oh-so-wonderful-experience they just had!
Again for Phorest clients, when a customer refers you, you can set up for a SMS to be sent to their phone, thanking and rewarding them with some TreatCard points! Drop us an email at marketing@phorest.com if you would like us to help you set that up! 😉
If you liked this article, then I think you will enjoy this one: If your salon was a book, what would the cover look like? Read more on that here.
Thanks for reading!
#LetsGrow
